The fashion industry is a leading contributor to the growing landfill epidemic, but consumers and businesses are combatting this by creating a more circular economy.

A circular economy focuses on the reuse and regeneration of materials and products.

Environmentalists and sustainability experts advocate for this system to help reduce much of the damage caused by overproduction and overconsumption.

The most common practice used is to resell old clothing through apps like Poshmark, Mercari or ThredUp. Consumers make money through the sale of previously loved clothes and avoid putting fully intact garments in the trash.

Fashion rental companies are also popular. Traditional rental apps work with retailers directly to rent out products to consumers. However, peer-to peer rental is becoming increasingly popular.

Loanhood and ByRotation allow consumers to lend out personal clothing to be rented and returned to other consumers, cutting out the middleman. Some users have made upwards of a $1,000 just by renting out a single item of clothing.

Small and student fashion designers are joining theses apps by producing small collections that can be rented out. They receive visibility and make money, while reducing the need for overproduction.

Unfortunately, this model places the responsibility of laundering, maintenance and shipping on the consumer.

Consumers are not the only ones sourcing pre-owned goods. LePrix is a business-to-business model that sources pre-owned luxury goods, authenticates them and distributes them to various businesses.

Outside of reselling and reusing clothes, consumers can also recycle them.

(Contributed/ecomena.org)

Retold recycling and For Days allow consumers to ship unwanted and unsellable clothing to be recycled.

These take-back programs sort through used and damaged clothing and do one of three things: donate to charities, send to thrift stores or downcycle them into new materials.

There are a multitude of ways to engage in creating a circular economy, and it is up the consumer which is the best fit for them.

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